Four Seasons of Love and Laughter
by Jisushika-chan
Summary: Whether is spring, summer, fall or winter...whether its rainy, sunny, windy or snowy... I will love you always. SXS
1. Chapter 1

Kon'nichiwa!

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you all had a happy day with your loved ones!

This story, as you can tell from the title, will have four segments. I posted Spring on Valentine's, and I will likely post each chapter respectively on White's Day (March 1), Stellar's Birthday (which I chose: August 26) and Shinn's birthday (September 1).

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed Destiny

* * *

**A Spring Anecdote**

Stellar pressed up against to the window from where she was sitting in front of it. "It's _raining._" She said softly, testing out the new word. "Raining."

"Yeah. Rain." She jumped as a voice seemingly materialized out of nowhere.

She beamed up to the black-haired man beside her. "Shinn!"

He smiled back, then turned to stare out the window again. Rain always made him feel wistful. When water fell from the skies, it just resembled the tears falling from someone's eyes too much for comfort. And he had seen too many tears in the war.

Rain was mournful. It was melancholy. It just about represented the sorrow and wistfulness he could see when someone cried in despair. He hated it.

Obviously, his companion didn't agree. "Stellar likes rain," she said decisively. Shinn stared at her in shock. Did she mean to say that she _liked_ sadness? "It…" she put a finger to her chin in thought. "It is so peaceful. It's so pretty. It's like the ocean came to visit Stellar and Shinn!"

… peace…? Shinn couldn't see it.

Rain made the skies cloudy and blocked the sunlight. It made the once-clear horizon a smudge of grey. It seemed like rain was pressing down on the life itself. It was just so… _grey. _

"Peace? Is it, Stellar?"

She nodded slowly, staring into the _grey. _"When Stellar sees the rain, inside I feel calm and peaceful. It's so great!" She smiled happily. Suddenly, she turned toward her companion. "Shinn? Does Shinn want to go outside with me?"

He blinked at her and looked out into the rain. It was not only grey, but wet. He turned to her, a excuse ready on his tongue when he made the mistake of noticing her expression.

She looked so hopeful and so happy. The spark he had not seen since they last visited the ocean was back in her eyes.

Shinn knew that if he told her he didn't want to, she would drop the subject and move on. But he also knew that that look would vanish from her face, like a candle blown out in the wind. _Or a candle put out by the rain, _he silently thought. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to say no.

"Sure, Stellar, let's go." He laughed when she giggled happily and got up to prepare for the wetness and the grey-ness of the rain.

Several minutes later, he set out in thin coat, a black umbrella over his head and Stellar by his side. He tipped the umbrella closer to her side. The rain fell thickly in sheets around them. Fortunately, there wasn't much wind, so they stayed pretty dry under their umbrella.

"Where to?" He quietly asked. He got a simple shrug as an answer and they set off on the sidewalk. Shinn assumed she meant to walk a bit, then return to their colorful, warm, _dry_ home.

The walked in a tranquil, slow pace. Suddenly, Stellar giggled softly. Shinn jumped. "Stellar…?

"Stellar was right, wasn't I?" He blinked. "I knew Shinn didn't want to walk in the rain, but I knew it would be perfect! He would like it! Right, Shinn?" She looked expectantly up at him.

How should he put this? It wasn't that bad, granted, but it didn't exactly become his favorite springtime activity. He merely gave a grunt. Stellar, satisfied, leaned against his side and walked on, a happy expression on her face.

Shinn mentally sighed. Although he still didn't like rain, he couldn't say that he minded being with Stellar in such a – dare he say it? – a serene moment. He looked up into the clouds. Was it just his hope talking, or were the clouds just a bit lighter?

-

Presently, they came to a well-known park. It was deserted – most people hiding from the downpour.

"Hm?" Stellar straightened and slowed to a stop. "Shinn? Want to walk in the park?"

"Sure."

The park _was _quite beautiful and peaceful in the rain, Shinn reflected. He normally avoided this park because of the loud children running around like there was no tomorrow. But yet… could Stellar be right? Did rain represent peace and tranquility, not sorrow and sadness?

The last time he had walked in the rain was when ZAFT officially lost the war alongside the EAF. He certainly didn't remember feeling any peace that day.

Yet… as he walked beside Stellar though the grove of trees, he felt a… lightness of sorts. Maybe his troubles were bring purified from the rain? Shinn snorted mentally. _When have I turned into a cliché-sprouting idiot?_

"Shinn?"

Said person snapped out his thought and glanced at the young girl. "Yeah?"

"I want to dance." Before Shinn could protest, Stellar ran into the clearing ahead.

"W-wait!" He ran after her. The umbrella slowed his pace and he tugged at it, annoyed. When he made it to the clearing, he stopped short. _Is that an… wait! Stellar!_

True to her word, the blonde was spinning happily under the raindrops, her skirt already soaked.

"Shinn!" She called over. "Watch!" She danced, careful, spinning and turning every which way. Shinn could only watch after her. She was… stunning. She always looked lovely, but she looked so free and happy in the rain…

Shinn shook his head, clearing it. He walked over to Stellar, who gradually spun to a stop. He lifted the umbrella over her head. "Stellar! You clothes are soaked! Are you cold?" \

She simply beamed up at him. "I'm happy!"

"Yeah, but are you _okay_?"

She gave a sudden gasp and sunk to her knees, much to Shinn's dismay. In his panic, he dropped the umbrella and kneeled, hands on her shoulders. The rain soaked his clothes though in a matter of seconds, but he ignored it. "Stellar?"

Stellar looked completely fine. In fact, she looked more than fine. She was looking… curiously at an object between them?

He looked down as well and saw a delicate white flower. "A… flower?"

"It's so pretty!" Stellar carefully stroked a petal. She carefully picked the flower up, breaking it at the stem. "I think Shinn will like it!" She presented it to him, smiling happily. "A flower for Shinn. Does he like it?"

It is a dreary, cloudy, rainy day. They were in the middle of a deserted clearing in a small forest. They were soaked and would probably catch colds. He had just gotten soaked out of worry for the girl when really she had seen a tiny plant in the ground.

Shinn wasn't thinking about any of these things as he stared at the flower. He gingerly accepted it from her, careful not to crush the tiny thing. Was it a primrose flower? "Stellar… it's… I… thanks", he said finally. "I really like it."

"Shinn's happy with Stellar's gift?" Stellar asked.

He stared at her, a small smile on his face. "Yeah."

Stellar grinned back. "Good! Then, Stellar's happy too!"

Shinn laughed, then pulled her into a standing position. He wrapped his arms around her. "Thanks, Stellar." Leaning forward, he pressed a light kiss to her lips.

The started to walk home, umbrella over their heads even though they were already soaked. Shinn smiled and looked at the cheerful girl beside him. _Rain… can be sad and wistful. But it can also be peaceful. Serene. Tranquil. Stellar… I wouldn't mind going out for a walk with you on the next rainy spring day. _

All in all, this springtime rainy afternoon was really… just perfectly peaceful and lovely.

It was raining again.

Shinn had looked forward to a rainy day since his last walk. Not being a very patient person, the two days he waited seemed like long lifetimes, seconds ticking away twice as slowly.

He turned to Stellar with a fond look on his face. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, he stopped. Last time they stared out into the rain, Stellar's expression was peaceful and content, a small smile on her lips.

Today…

Today, she was staring out of the window quizzically. Her nose was scrunched up slightly and she frowned. She looked puzzled, and looking for answers. As if the rain outside secretly hold answers to life's most confusing questions and she was deciphering those answers. As if something was puzzling her to a great extent and she wanted to know the answer.

Or she could have been wondering why that person across the street was running, trying to shield himself from the rain. He was never very good at telling anything from people's expressions.

"Er… Stellar?" he asked hesitantly. "Stellar?"

She continued to stare.

"Er… would you like to walk outside with me? Hello?" He waved a hand in front of her face.

She snapped out of it. "Yes, Shinn?" He repeated his question. Instantly, her eyes lit up and she nodded energetically. "Aa! Can we? Please?"

"Yeah." He chuckled as she immediately headed toward the front closet and pulled out the black umbrella. She was smiling broadly. _Must have imagined her expression before…_

After putting on her own light-blue coat, she handed his to him and opened the door. "Out to the rain?"

"Sure."

Together, they stepped into the rain, Shinn holding the umbrella over their heads. It was peaceful and lovely, he had to admit. Stellar might have just been right.

When he next glanced down at the blonde, he was taken aback at _that_ expression on her face again. _It's right in front of my face. I am either seeing it or hallucinating._

"Shinn?"

The black hair man started and the umbrella jerked. "Yes?"

"Do you… have a favorite color?"

A favorite color? This required some thought. Hm…

…did he even _have _a favorite color?

No, no. He did. By process of elimination, he could deduct that, technically, he _had to _have a favorite color. If he hated the color grey, than he must have a color that he particularly liked right? He couldn't _just_ have colors he hated, right? So what was it?

Let's go back to the process of elimination. Was it blue? Definitely not. Green? No. Orange? He hated orange more than grey. Red? N- hang on. Red. That _was_ the color of his off-duty clothes, wasn't it? He certainly didn't mind it, or he wouldn't have worn for so long. It _did_ represent confidence and honor and loyalty and all that. Not to mention his eyes were red. But speaking of clothes – whenever he was off-duty during the war, he always wore white clothes. White was purity and cleanliness and innocence and all that, right? So, red or white?

"Shinn?" Stellar poked his side. "What color does Shinn like the best?"

Wait – they were already on the next block? He spent that long thinking of it? "Red and white," he said finally. _I didn't just spend five minutes thinking about colors, did I? And STILL never made a decision?_

"Red and white…?" She thought about it carefully. "Shinn's favorite color is red and white."

They lapsed into a silence, _that_ look on Stellar's face again.

When they returned, Shinn shrugged off his jacket. After helping Stellar with hers, he went to take a bath, calling for Stellar to "do something" in the meantime.

She gave a vague nod in return. Shinn's suspected something was bothering her. Normally she ask him to do something with him after they arrived back. He had only decided to take a shower to see her reaction. He shrugged as he shut the bathroom door behind him.

He'll ask her afterwards.

Pen poised carefully over a sheet of paper, Stellar carefully write a short note to Shinn, should he finish before she came back.

_Shinn, I'll be back soon, okay? _

_Stellar_

Stellar was quite proud of her writing. It was, granted, a bit sloppy and childish, but when Shinn tried to teach her to write "clearer", the lesions were lost on her. Shinn's writing looked an _awful_ lot like scribbling, she decided early on.

She placed the note on the table before putting on her coat again. She carried the umbrella behind her and walked into the sidewalk. After carefully looking the door with the key around her neck, she opened the umbrella and set off.

With the destination clear in her mind, the blonde made quick time to the shop she had seen the last time they went out. She stepped into the small shop, a small bell on the door announcing her presence.

Immediately, a young girl in uniform hurried forward. "Hello, welcome to Yuri Florists. May I help you?"

"I would like to buy flowers." Stellar said slowly. She glanced around the room. Why was there so many types?

The shop assistant nodded. "I see. Have you thought about what type of flower you would like?"

_Remember – red and white. _"Uh…" She glanced around more slowly. I would like either flowers that are red or white, please."

The assistant sweatdropped. Most of their flowers were either red or white. "Well, why don't you take a look around?"

"Yeah…" Stellar wandered from shelf to shelf, seeing many white and red flowers. She didn't any of them. They weren't the perfect one.

On the next shelf, she paused. "Ah…" Here was a white flower. It was intricate and delicate. It was absolutely beautiful. Carefully, she plucked the prettiest one of the bunch. Now for something red…

The red took her a while longer, but eventually, she brought two flowers up to the front desk, where the same girl was waiting.

"Stellar would like these two, please."

The girl smiled pleasantly. "No problem." She took out clear paper and wrapped each flower separately. "Nice choices," she commented hilst wrapping. "One white gardenia… and one scarlet gloxina." She looked up. "That would be four fifty, please."

Stellar dug into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a few coins. Remembering what Shinn taught her about coins, she gave the girl six coins in total.

"Thank you very much." The register pinged. "By the way, are you giving those to someone special?"

Special…? Shinn was special… Stellar nodded.

"Ah," the girl sighed dreamily. "You're so lucky. Did you get chocolates for him as well?"

"Chocolates?"

The girl stared. "You mean you didn't? Then you should! All guys secretly love chocolate, don't you agree?"

Slightly confused to what the girl was saying, Stellar nodded slowly. "…Aa…"

The girl grabbed her hand and pulled her to a display. "Here, see? We have very fine chocolate. Won't you buy one for him?"

"Shinn would like chocolates?" Stellar was curious.

"I'm sure he would." The girl's voice was firm.

"…sure…"

Stellar found herself standing outside the shop-door minutes later with two flowers and a box of chocolates in a bag, her pocket significantly lighter. Opening her umbrella, she headed toward home.

Upon opening the door, Shinn sitting on the sofa. Stellar removed her coat and headed over to sit beside him.

"I wondered where you were." Shinn spoke softly.

"Stellar went to buy something for Shinn." She opened the bag and handed it to him.

Shinn pulled out the red flower. "A flower?"

"Yeah! Shinn said he was happy when Stellar gave him a flower before, so I went out to buy a flower for you!" She beamed at him.

The red-eyed man looked down at the flowers in his hands. "They're very beautiful, Stellar. Thanks you."

Stellar leaned close and softly kissed his cheek. She grinned as he blushed. "Stellar chose them! Shinn likes?"

"A lot." He noticed that there was still some weight in the bag, and reached in. "Chocolates?"

"Chocolates" The blonde nodded. "The girl said something about… people like to eat them?"

He laughed softly. "Thanks, Stellar." Leaning across, he kissed her gently. "I like them a lot."

She blinked, then beamed at him. "I'm happy, then!"

"Chocolates, eh?" He ripped open the package. "You've never ate chocolates before, right? Here eat one; they're very sweet."

"Eat one?" She asked confusedly. "I shouldn't eat my gift for Shinn!"

He playfully ruffled her hair. "Don't worry about that," he said, looking affectionately at her. "I'll like them better if you eat them with me."

Relenting, Stellar ate one. Her eyes widened. "They're sweet and soft!"

Laughing, he popped one into his mouth.

Rainy days with Stellar were some of the best days in his life, he decided. Whether he was walking in the rain with her or eating chocolates indoors, he loved being with Stellar.

He glanced out the window. The rain was still coming down in sheets. He found that he didn't mind at all.

…_I could... really get to like this…

* * *

_

The three flowers in this story all have symbollic meaning. The primose is a tiny, delicate flower that represents young (but true) love. The two flowers Stellar bought were the white gardenia and the scarlet gloxinia. Agardenia means "sweet and pure love" and a red gloxinia is "true love found at first sight." I thought these three flowers represented Shinn and Stellar's love quite nicely!

Thanks for reading,  
Jisushika-chan

February 14, 2007


	2. Chapter 2

Kon'nichiwa!

Discalimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny or its original plotline.

Happy White's Day! Even though not too many people celebrate it, right?

I realize this is VERY late. I am very, very, very sorry! Due to unforeseen circumstances, I was not able to post this up last week!

Here is the second chapter of "Four Seasons of Love and Laughter":

* * *

"Stellar?" 

The said person was sitting on a bench, fanning herself lazily. "Hm?"

It is hot – no, it was more than hot, it was stifling.

Summer had arrived gently, appearing in warm, breezy days. Now, In the middle of August, it was just a bit too hot. Even now, in the evening, it was quite hot.

Shinn took a seat beside her, playfully dragging a hand through her hair. In response, she swatted half-heartedly at his hands. The heat was making her drowsy; she yawned and rested her head against Shinn's shoulder, letting the paper fan rest on her face as shelter from the sun.

"Tired of the heat, Stellar?" Shinn grinned. "Then you'll be interested to see what I've got, right?"

"Hm..?" Intrigued, Stellar lifted the fan from her face to peer at him. "What is it?"

"Uh-uh." He shook head. "I'm not telling you."

She pouted slightly. "Why? Tell me."

Laughing at her expression, he gave in. "Here." He waved a large white envelope in front of her face.

Curious, Stellar out down the fan and took it. She examined the outside. It was blank. Frowning slightly, she lifted the flap and took out the contents.

Two squares of paper fell out.

Stellar squinted in the bright light, trying to read the small black words. "Train tickets?" She glanced at Shinn. "To Higashouki?"

Beaming, he nodded. "Yeah. You probably never been there before right? It's a small town several miles north of sea, bordering the ocean."

At that, Stellar perked up. "Ocean?" She hadn't been there for nearly a year now.

"Now, what I was wondering," continued Shinn, "is if you want to come with me?"

"Eh! Really!" The blonde's eyes lit up. "I want to go!" She looked at the tickets in her hand. "Eh, Higashouki… I can't wait!" She grinned at the man beside her.

Ruffling her hair again, he laughed. "Good because we're setting off tomorrow. It's for a couple of days, okay? Go and pack some clothes okay?"

She nodded energetically, already thinking of what to bring. "I'll go now!" She thought for a second. "It's too bad that my blue dress was damaged… I wore it last time I went to the ocean." A soft sigh. "But, I still have other ones to wear, right Shinn?" She beamed and ran off, clearly excited about the trip.

"Take your time," he called. We're not leaving till tomorrow morning."

His words didn't do anything to change Stellar's hurried pace. Shinn smiled softly at her retreating back. She was really too cute.

Getting up he followed her at a more leisurely pace, a plan forming in his mind.

By the time he walked through the main door (that Stellar had left ajar), the purple-eyed girl was already at it, if the sounds from her room were any indication.

Smiling again, he headed for his own room. On the way, he paused for a second at her doorway and saw her small suitcase already open and Stellar standing at her closet.

In his own room, Shinn carefully closed his door,, and looked around. He was probably being too careful, but he did want some parts of the trip to surprise Stellar. Removing a thick file from a drawer in the desk, he picked up the phone to make a few important phone calls.

He was finished within a half hour and looked carefully around again, even going as far as opening the door a crack to peer out. He could hear Stellar cheerfully humming two doors down (the bathroom between them). Shutting the door again, he opened the closet.

Now, you see, his closet was perfectly organized down to the last garment. In his special system, every piece of clothing was on-hand and convenient. In his opinion. If anyone else looked, they would have instantly labeled the space as a 'mess'.

When they had bought the flat, his medium-sized closet was already nicely furnished with hanger and even a dresser. At the moment, most of his clothes were either piled on top of the dresser, shoved on the shelf above the hangers. There were some clothes hanging on the hangers and some in the drawers, but for the most part, it looked as if those weren't used.

Tossing aside a stray sock, Shinn pulled open the bottom drawer. It creaked dully from the lack of use. There was only one thing in that drawer. It was probably the most taken-care-of item in the whole of his closet. Wrapped in protective plastic, even with scented beads, was a very important piece of clothing.

He carefully put the whole package in his bed and unwrapped it, pulling away the layers of plastic. Inside was a single dress.

More specifically, it was an ankle-length dress with a full white skirt, a blue bodice, graceful off-shoulder white sleeves and a ribbon-like sash. In short, it was Stellar's favorite dress.

Last year, when they went to visit a friend who lived basically at the top of a mountain, Stellar tripped on a hike and ripped the skirt. She had been so sad at the time… and she had just said not an hour ago that this was still the dress that she like the most. Shinn wished she could wear it. However… He looked with dismay at the rip. It was about twelve inches long straight up from the hem.

Fingering the frayed fabric, Shinn's mind raced. This was Stellar's favorite dress. He knew that she would want to wear it in their vacation. However, as it had a rip in the front, she would be able to wear it.

Unless…

Couldn't it be fixed?

Gripped by this idea, Shinn slowly stood up. Yes. That would work.

Smiling widely, he grabbed a carrier bag he spotted lying on the bottom of his closet and carefully folded the dress into it.

Instead of rushing out like he usually would have done, he carefully looked out before walking quietly into the main room, making sure that he made no sounds besides his footsteps. The bag was a bit big for the dress and kept sliding around with swishing noises. But he didn't use to be an ace ZAFT soldier for nothing.

Silently, he rested the bag on the floor. He cleared his throat. "Stellar? I'm going out for a bit okay?"

"Uh-huh!"

She didn't suspect a thing. Sighing, he walked out into the streets.

* * *

_W-what!_

_You cannot be serious!_

The tailor was absolutely _rubbish! _The sign said they closed at nine o'clock, but it clearly _wasn't _that late! He nearly ripped his sleeve in haste to check his watch and was thoroughly shocked to see that it was nine-ten.

What to do now? He had no choice but to go home – the dress still damaged.

Upon arriving home, Stellar was still humming inside her room. Muttering "I'm back" to no-one in particular, he went to his room and dumped the bag into his bed and slumped onto the chair.

What to do…?

Shinn's gaze landed on the pile of brochures he collected and had a sudden brainwave. They must have had tailors in Higashouki, right? He could just sneak off for a couple minutes, hand it to the tailor and come back for it later, right? Perfect!

He sighed with relief.

Then realizing he hadn't even started to pack yet, he hurriedly got up an pulled out his own suitcase from the closet. At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

He opened it. "Stellar?"

"I'm going to sleep now, okay?" She smiled. "Goodnight."

"Hm. Goodnight. I'll wake you up tomorrow morning – the train leaves at 9:00."

Making a noise of assent, she went back into her own room.

Shinn smiled softly, then quickly packed all the essentials and went to sleep himself.

* * *

Early in the morning, when the sky was only starting to show the faintest signs of light, he started. On his half-awake state, he could've sworn he heard the beep-beep of his alarm clock. But when he peered drowsily at it, he saw that it was only five fifteen. He wasn't going to wake up until at least seven.

Rolling over, he fell back into a deep sleep.

By ten o'clock, they were on the train and speeding off into the north.

There weren't very many people on the train and they had a whole compartment to themselves. Stellar had immediately claimed a window seat and was still staring excitedly out at the passing trees and towns.

"You know, Stellar, that it'll take us a while to get there." He couldn't help but chuckle at her antics. He was sitting on the opposite seat, facing her.

"But it's really pretty out right now too…"

Yes, the scenery was great, but he privately thought that she was even prettier. She was wearing a light sundress, patterned with different shades of blue. The early sunlight was shining on her face and she had a content smile.

"Yes. Really pretty." He didn't spare a glance to the view.

He tore his gaze away from her to hand her a brochure. "Here, want to see? We're going to stay here." He pointed to the picture. "I looked it up – there's a summer festival tonight. It's supposed to be a traditional holiday or something. Wanna go?"

Stellar nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah."

"And before that we can just spend some time around the town. It's supposed to be a good tourist attraction because it's so 'quaint'." He paused, frowning, "I'm not too sure what that means though…"

When they arrived, it was apparent that 'quaint' meant that they town was slightly old-fashioned with dramatic architecture and atmosphere. Many people were milling around, especially around the train station.

"Okay…" Shinn blinked. It was different from home, where it was much more modernized. "Now, let's see. Hey, Stellar, want to go to the inn and drop things off then go walking?"

At her assent, he consulted the map. "Well, I think it's this way."

It took them about half an hour to walk to the inn, which was the same architecturally, but much more quiet. It would have taken them less time, if they hadn't gotten lost and had to ask someone to point them in the right direction.

Afterwards, they walked around for a bit, laughing and generally enjoying themselves. There were a lot of souvenir shops, many specializing in particular items.

"Hey, Shinn!" Stellar tugged his arm. "Let's go in here." It was another souvenir shop, this one claiming to have the best photograph frames.

"Sure." He followed her inside.

She browsed amongst the shop. "I want to buy one so that when we take a picture, I can put it inside, okay?" She beamed up at him.

Shortly, she had decided on a delicate silver frame. Stellar refused to let Shinn pay, instead carefully counting coins from her pocket.

"Shinn has bought so many things for Stellar already, okay?" She smiled. "So this time, I will buy, okay?"

Shinn smiled back. "Aa, okay."

When they exited the store, the purchase securely held in Stellar's hand, Shinn paused. He checked the time. "Hey Stellar. I want to show you a shop, okay?" He consulted his map again.

This time he got them there without getting lost. "Here, this shop sells yukata. Chose one and you can wear it for the festival, okay?" Shinn smiled. "Chose the one that you like the best!"

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, both of them where wearing new yukata. Stellar chose one on light blue, with a graceful white dove motif, while Shinn bought a plain dark blue one.

"Wear it now, okay Stellar? The festival has already started." He was already wearing his blue one.

She agreed and the shop assistant helped her into the robe in the fitting room. When she drew back the curtain, Shinn nearly gasped. Stellar was particularly beautiful in that dress. It suited for unique coloring and went well with her slim figure.

"You're very pretty in that yukata, Stellar." He extended a hand.

The girl blushed slightly. "Shinn looks nice as well." She took his hand and they set off for the festival, hand in hand.

The festival was beautiful. As he walked around the booths with Stellar, he felt almost light-headed with happiness. The two of them had almost smiled nonstop since the first booth they had stopped at.

"Wait here for a second okay?"

Stellar blinked. "What?" But he had already left.

Two minutes later, he returned, as bunch of flowers in his arms. Stopping a few feet away, he bowed slightly. "Miss, a gift for you." He straightened back up and grinned, offering the bouquet to her.

Blushing slightly again, Stellar accepted the flowers. She smiled widely back. "So pretty!"

Smiling, he took her hand and pulled her back into the crowd.

Tonight was really very perfect, he thought blissfully. The festival was very beautiful – it was a clear, starry night and all the shops and booths around them were brightly alit.

Well, all except that one over there.

Curious, he shuffled forward for a closer look. It took a moment to sink in:

_What? What!_

Shinn stared furiously at the sign. Tailors were really useless things, ehe thought. The only time in his life he ever needed on in a town miles away from his own, _they decide to go on vacation for a week. _

"Er, Shinn? Is something wrong?" Stellar tugged on his sleeve.

His mouth opened automatically. "No; everything's fine."

She smiled. "Let's walk a bit more okay?"

"Uh-huh."

In a blur, they finished walking around the festival and ended up back in their hotel room. They were both tired, but had enjoyed the festival every much.

Yawning, Stellar rubbed her eyes. "I'm going to go to sleep, okay?" She disappeared into the bathroom before reappering, now dressed in a set of light-pink nightgown. "Shinn, I really had fun tonight." She leaned forward and brushed her lips against his cheek. She straightened and yawned again. "Well, see you tomorrow, okay?"

Shinn smiled softly. "Yeah, goodnight." Putting the tailor problem out of his mind for the moment, he took a moment to watch Stellar curl up in bed before taking out his own bight clothes and going into the washroom.

After changing, he stared at the mirror in a slight panic. The dress was still torn. The bloody tailor was on vacation. _What was he going to do?_

In frustration, he leaned forward and splashed water onto his face. Reaching out blindly for a complimentary hotel towel.

He managed to knock the basket of complimentary stuff onto the floor. Cursing under his breath as he heard the clatter on the ground, he roughly dried his face. Throwing the towel aside, he stooped down to clean the mess.

_Why was there so much stuff free, anyway?_, he thought irritably as he threw the stuff back into the basket. _I mean, why would we ever need a _– he peered at the label – _a shoe mitt, whatever that is. _He tossed it in and reached for the next object. _Or a pack of cotton swabs? … or a sewing kit – _He stopped, package still in his fingers. _Sewing? _

Shinn's mind raced. If he had given the dress to a tailor, they would sew it up, right? Sewing the rip back together, so that you wouldn't notice the cut.

… could he do that?

He was quite keen of the idea, as he mulled over it. He had never sewn before, but it couldn't be that difficult, could it? You just thread up the needle and sew it up, right?

Yes, he thought, determination flooding though him. He could do it. Mind made up, he hastily gathered up the rest of the stuff and threw the basket back onto the closet, the tiny sewing kit between his fingers.

Back in the main room, he paused to see if Stellar was awake or not. From the sound of her slow, steady breathing, he thought the coast was clear. Switching on the lamp at the desk – he left the main light off as to not disturb Stellar – he carefully unfolded the dress from his luggage and spread it onto the desk.

Shinn glanced at the clock. It was just past eleven o'clock. He looked back at the rip in the skirt. It was a mere foot long. He should be able to do it – even with no experience in about forty-five minutes, right?

He threaded the needle with white thread and stuck it in at the hem, quickly making the first stitch. See, easy.

11:16 – Shit. Looking up, he realized the few inches' worth of stitches he finished was, without a doubt, the most crooked and ugly he had ever seen in his life. Pull them out and start over.

11:35 – Why? _Why_ does the cloth bunch up like that around his stitches (which were, to be fair, a bit more straight)? It was pulling the whole skirt out of shape. It'll never do. He yanked the thread out. Back to the beginning.

11:48 – Okay. The stitches are now straight (somewhat) and the cloth is _not_ bunching up. Only problem: they were a slight bit too loose, so there was a sliver of space between them. Square one again…

12:05 – Finally. Finally. The stitches are straighter than ever. They are not too loose. They are in fact a tiny, tiny bit tight, but that was okay. He pushed the hair out of his eyes breathed a sigh. Approximately three stitches done. Only nine to go.

12:26 – No. No. He had forgotten to account for the fact the skirt tightened as it went up, and what had been slightly tight stitches at the hem were now too tight, making the cloth bunch again. Resisting the urge to hit his forehead against the table, he pulled out the stitches he had just finished and stuck the needle back into the white material.

12:51 – Okay. He was getting the hang if it – he hoped. The first two inches worth of sewing was pretty okay. But that last inch… Arg.

1:14 – Argh. What happened? It was way too loose – about a centimeters' worth of empty space. Start over.

1:45 – Shinn felt like cheering wit joy, as his fingers shakily pulled the needle through the last stitch. Finally. Finally! Finished. He put the needle away and rubbed his eyes.

It wasn't _perfect, _but it'll pass. He tiredly looked at the clock and received a shock. He had spent nearly three hours sewing up a twelve inches worth of material?

Ah, well…

He bought it over to the closet and hung it up. Tiredly, he went into the washroom to wash his hands. Incidentally, his hand were covered with scratches where he had stabbed himself with the needle. It stung a bit from the water but he ignored it and shut the tap.

Yawning hugely, he shuffled into bed and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

Morning announced itself with bright rays off sunlight in Stellar's face. Sleepily, she sat up, rubbing her eyes. Morning already? She smiled. Yesterday was unbelievably fun – but today would be good too, she could feel it.

Excitedly, she threw off the covers and went over to Shinn's bedside She saw Shinn sleeping with his face buried in the blanket. She reached out a hand and shook his shoulder. "Eh, Shinn. Wake up."

He merely turned over in his sleep so that he was no longer facing her. Shaking harder, se spoke more loudly. "Shinn! Shinn – wake up, please!"

Groaning, he buried his head under the pillow. A muffled "G'way" reached her ears.

Regarding his sleeping position, Stellar got a very … "good" idea. She giggled quietly to herself. Swiftly, she yanked the pillow from over his head and promptly threw it into his face. Giggling softly, she watched as Shinn stirred and finally sat up. She kept laughing until - !

"Hey, why did you hit me with the pillow?" She demanded.

Shinn looked perfectly unconcerned "Well, you hit me first, you see."

"Well – !" She picked up the pillow and hit him head over the head with it, before retreating to the desk, starting to laugh.

Shinn looked incredulous for a second, but then, with a sigh, gave up. "Okay, fine. I'm up."

"Yay!" she beamed. "Where will we go today, Shinn?"

"Ah." Shinn had a secretive look on his face. "A surprise. And no – I will NOT tell you what it is", he added as she opened her mouth. "Just put on what the dress in the closet. Okay?"

Giving him a questioning look, she opening the closet door. Shinn watched as a look off sheer delight spread across her face, making her eyes sparkle brightly. "Ah – my dress!" She hugged it to her chest. Turning to him, she said, " Did you fix it for me? Ah! Thank you so much!" She gave him a tight hug before kissing his cheek again. "So happy!" She did a sort of dance on the spot. "Can I wear it today, Shinn?"

Laughing, he nodded and watched her positively skip across the room to the bathroom. He took advantage of the time alone and quickly changed his won clothes and packed their bags for the day.

"Ready to go out?" he asked when she came out, the dress suiting her perfectly. She nodded enthusiastically and took her bag. "Then let's go."

"W-wait! I forgot something." She rummaged around her luggage and put something into her bag, with her back turned to the black-haired man so that he could not see what it was at all.

With little difficultly, he managed to catch the bus and got off at the correct top – a beautiful rock cliff above the ocean.

Gasping at the sheer beauty, Stellar walked forward as if in a trance. "It's so beautiful," she breathed.

"Yeah, but this isn't where we're going." He tugged lightly at her hand and with a backward glance she followed him down the road.

Several moments later, they found themselves at a quiet shop. Inside, Shinn talked quietly to the shopkeeper while Stellar waited by the window.

"Eh, Stellar, let's go."

Slightly confused, Stellar followed him out though a door she had not seen and out onto a deck. Shinn looked around carefully, before leading her beside a white sailboat.

"Want to go out for a boat ride?" He smiled at her. "We can see the ocean up close."

Stellar nodded enthusiastically. "Ah!"

"Okay, then." Shinn carefully climbed into the boat, before turning back and helping Stellar into the boat. "Here, you can sit here… He scratched the back of his head, surveying the equipment. He had out on a sailboat only one other time. If he could only remember how it works…

He consulting a piece of paper. "I think this does this…" He tried to turn the sail. "Very good."

Stellar got up. "Stellar can help you?"

"I almost got it, now."

Moments later, he let a cry – "Aha!" – and promptly the sailboat drifted out into sea. Pausing, he turned to the purple-eyed girl. "You might want to sit down. I'm not sure how the winds are today." Waiting until she sat down, he started to maneuver the boat.

Shinn got it out to sea so far that they could no longer see the shore. There were a few islands varying in size around them. They were in what seemed the midpoint between the large island in front of them and the shore behind them. There were smaller islands to their left. Ducking around the mast, he sat down beside Stellar. "Let's just drift a bit, okay?"

They lapsed into a comfortable silence.

After a moment, Stellar broke the silence. "Eh, Shinn, it is so peaceful here…" She trailed a hand lazily in the warm waters. "I have never been so close to the ocean before." She smiled softly. "The ocean is my favorite place, you know that, right?" She looked toward the sky. "It's because it is so soft and quiet. So peaceful and safe. When I am here, there is nothing to fear. This is the place that makes me this happiest." Smiling, she looked to Shinn. "What is Shinn's favorite place?"

He didn't have to give it any thought. "I like the ocean to best." He did. If the ocean was the place where Stellar was the happiest and smiled the most, it was, without a doubt, be his favorite place as well.

"Really?" Her eyes sparkled. "Oh! Hey, Shinn..."

"Yeah?"

"Wait a second…" She reached in her bag and pulled out a small package wrapped in tissue paper. "For Shinn."

Intrigued, he accepted the package and carefully opened it. Inside was a delicate glass jar, filled with intricately made paper stars. It was beautiful. "Stellar… did you make it? Thank you…" Putting an arm across her shoulders he leaned close and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. "Pulling away, he said softly "It's very beautiful. I like it a lot."

She blushed slightly and shook her head.

They spent moments like that, half in an embrace, simply enjoying each other's warmth.

Suddenly, Shinn shifted. "Oh, right – hey Stellar, want to take a picture? Here, with the islands behind us? It can go into the picture frame you bought yesterday"

She agreed happily, and he pulled a small digital camera out of his bag. He looked around. "Hey, that is a very pretty background there… He carefully turned to boat a fraction, then settled back into the seat, close to Stellar.

With his left hand, he held out the camera in front of them. Glancing at Stellar to see her smiling softly, he turned to face to camera and smiled happily.

It was absolutely wonderful. His most important person beside him, smiling happily with him in her – no, their most favorite place in the world.

_Click!_

Picture Perfect.

* * *

Thanks for reading,  
Jisushika-chan

March 22, 2007


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